What is Conversational Leadership?

THE CHALLENGE

We live in an increasingly hyperconnected world. This has resulted in massive complexity, which in turn has lead to a volatile, unpredictable, confusing and ambiguous place to live. We face many challenges as a consequence of this complexity, not just in business but at personal, family, societal and global levels.

Here are three of  the more significant issues:

1. Given we make poor decisions, how do we make sense of this complexity in order to improve our decision making?
2. We need to act and to innovate to create the world we wish to see but given the complexity, how do we foresee and avoid the unintended consequences of our actions and of innovation?
3. We are still fighting at all levels, how do we learn to respect one another, build stronger relationships and live and work together more harmoniously?

I believe we can deal better with this complexity by taking responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the world and by transforming the way we “interact and converse with each other” – by becoming  Conversational Leaders.

WHAT IS CONVERSATIONAL LEADERSHIP?

Conversational Leadership is about appreciating the transformative power of conversation, practicing leadership, and adopting a conversational approach to the way we work together in a complex world.

Credit: David Gurteen

HOWEVER, IT IS MUCH MORE THAN THIS

• Conversational Leadership is for anyone who wishes to take responsibility, to influence and to lead, to make a difference, large or small, in their life, in their job, in the world, in whatever way they choose.
• Anyone can become a conversational leader. You do not need permission.
  You are not appointed a conversational leader.
• It is NOT some change initiative or organizational development (OD) intervention foisted on you by your organization. It is a choice that you make.
• You do not need any resources or training, but you do need a strong willingness to learn and to change.
• It is about better understanding yourself and other people better.
• It’s about trusting and respecting each other, not trying to manipulate or control each other.
• It is about changing your behavior, improving your conversation skills and habits, and adopting conversational methods.
• It’s about creating a better life, a better organization, a better world.

CONVERSATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL SHORT COURSE

Are you ready to build your own Conversational Leadership skills? Leverage the power of conversation to unlock creative thinking, innovation and continuous self-improvement for you, your organization, and the broader community. Learn how through our upcoming professional short course, Conversational Leadership, which starts on May 9, 2022.